


Cupio Dissolvi

by bitterjelly



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst and Porn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Freudian Elements, M/M, Mount Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:22:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24903013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitterjelly/pseuds/bitterjelly
Summary: When Thanatos is sent to collect the soul of Eros' mortal lover, he faces the wrath of the god of sex. But after their paths cross, they can't seem to untangle their destinies from each other. A very Freudian slash.
Relationships: Eros/Thanatos (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. Chrysanthos

The sea breathed hot and salty on the high Cretan cliff, shaking the tall, fragrant lilies growing among the rocks. Thanatos' sandal crunched on the limestone path. He squinted in the bright summer sunlight, covering his eyes with one hand, scanning the rocky vista until he spotted what he had come for. 

Still surrounded by his small herd of fat, wheat-colored goats, lay the shepherd. With a flutter of his wings, Thanatos reached him. 

The man's eyes were glassy, unfocused, but still quivered with a spark of life. Thanatos' hands hovered in the air over the long gashes across his belly and arms, the dark pool of blood. Not far away a partially eviscerated goat was already attracting a cloud of flies. The god of death knelt, tucking his white achiton under his knees. 

"I'm sorry." He whispered, making a pinching motion with his fingers over the shepherd's chest. "It's time to rest." Delicately, he pulled a thin strand of pearlescent blue light from the core of the dying man. 

His eyes and wings glowed with the same blue light, while the dark green leaves of an olive tree rustled overhead. Slowly, the strand took shape and unfurled its transluscent wings. 

Thanatos opened the door to the tiny silver filligree cage tied to his belt, and placed the fluttering butterfly inside. He stood and dusted off his knees, glancing back down at the now soulless body. 

The shepherd must have been strikingly handsome in life, he mused, with broad muscular shoulders and a boyish face, not yet lined with the suffering of life. His lustrous dark curls now hung limply from his head, his charmingly embroidered blue tunic now hung in blood-soaked rags from his body. 

Thanatos spread his wings wide, feeling Helios' warmth and Poseidon's ocean breeze. At least this man had his brief moment in the sun, he mused, thinking on his own endless nights in the underworld. The fearful stillness of it. The vapor-like despair. 

Procrastinating for a few more moments before the long flight back, he stepped away from the body, from his own constant thoughts on mortal ephemerality. 

Down below the tumble of boulders worn smooth by the wind and waves, Thanatos could make out a few small fishing boats, their white and red striped sails flapping in the wind, their salt-crusted hulls bouncing on the white-capped waves. An old man and a younger woman cast out a weighted net. The woman said something and the man laughed, leathery-tan wrinkles folding up around his eyes. 

Thanatos wondered what it would be like to go down to them, to talk to mortals like some of the other gods and goddesses did. In his current form, they would only sense him as a sudden coolness of the air. A stillness, a pang of nostalgia. The white strands of his hair tickled his cheek and he brushed them away, lost in thought. 

"Thanatos?" 

The god of death shrunk back as if stung, pulling his icy blue wings around himself. His gaze whipped around to see - a mortal could see him?! A mortal with perfect brown curls framing his dark face, a short black chiton revealing deliciously plump thighs...

"E-Eros?" Thanatos peered through his fanned wings. 

"No - Sisyphus." Eros chuckled warmly. "Of course it's Eros. Did I scare you?"

Thanatos chuckled nervously, lowering his wings. "Of course not," He feigned a poor show of nonchalance, "just a bit surprised to see an Olympian in East Nowhere, Crete." 

"I could say the same! What brings you to... this..." Realization slowly dawned on his face, then terror. The bottle of wine he was holding fell to the grass with a thunk. 

"You're not..." He looked around, head whipping from side to side. "Wher-" 

His gaze landed on the body, still awkwardly splayed out just a few meters away. 

"No. No. Nono nononono." He sprinted over to the dead man on the ground, hands flying out to touch the now cold skin. _"No no, no. Chrysanthos. Please no."_ A strangled sob squeezed its way out of Eros' throat. Thanatos tried to look away, distancing himself from the guilt and self loathing that was rolling through his body like a slimy wave. He was frozen to the spot, knees locked in panic. Should he fly away? Should he talk to Eros... apologize? 

Thanatos cleared his throat and took a step toward the god of sex, awkwardly tucking the soul butterfly's cage behind his arm.

In an instant, red eyes met blue. Dark shadows whipped around Eros' mortal disguise. 

**"WHAT THE FUCK, YOU SLIMY NECROTIC FREAK?!"** The Olympian's voice boomed, his power making Thanatos feel like someone was crushing his skull. With a wave of his hand, the guise of mortality fell away and Eros swelled in size, towering over Thanatos, who was now clutching his ears. 

Thanatos stumbled back, his wings trembling. He could see Eros' elbow pulling back, his fist clenching. With an awkward part leap, part fall Thanatos threw his body off the cliffside and flapped his powerful wings, soaring into the air and out of the reach of the angry pink god. 

He stole one furtive glance over his shoulder and could just make out the shrunken form of Eros, curled up on himself on the dusty cliff, alone.


	2. Todestriebe

The party was getting louder as Thanatos settled into a quiet corner by the French doors to Hera's garden. He could clearly identify Thetis' shrieks of recognition as her soft, drunk body collided with her friends' in a flurry of kisses. Sighing, he checked his phone aimlessly. Based on how much she and Minthe had imbibed before they even left for Zeus' solstice party, it would be a short night. Thanatos was already counting down the minutes as he sipped his soda. He really wasn't in the mood to be the sober driver tonight.

Work was going terribly - family connections were probably all that kept him from getting sacked, honestly. Minthe had been even more distant lately, and Thetis even more grating. He felt trapped.

A sweet-scented breeze fluttered across his face from the garden. He turned to look and saw a dryad in deep conversation with a centaur, her long green fingers trailing in the marble fountain, making ripples. Thanatos unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, watching the way her silver-sequined dress bounced moonlight off the splashing water. He uncrossed and recrossed his legs, uncomfortable on the marble bench.

The soft sounds of a lute being strummed filtered from the main hall, and Aglaea, the Charity, began to sing. The curly-haired bartender who was mixing drinks by the entrance nearest Thanatos closed her eyes and smiled whistfully for a moment, lost in the diaphanous sound.

The clicking of hard-soled shoes snapped her from her reverie, and she smiled broadly, reaching for a bottle.

"Welcome Lord Eros! Your usual?"

"Absolutely. Thanks, Alexandra!" The god of sex slipped a large bill in the nymph's tip jar with a wink.

Thanatos, heart pounding, willed himself to dissapear, to sink into the shadows and cease to exist, to shrink to an invisible speck, to be anywhere other than here. In terror, he watched Eros lean his elbow on the bar and slowly turn around -

Their eyes met. Thanatos, plastered against the wall, knees pressed together as if he could make himself smaller. Eros, absentmindedly reaching for his fruity drink and clicking the toe of his blue leather wingtip against the floor. 

For a moment, time was compressed into a mote of possibility. Then Thanatos' phone buzzed. 

_thetis: what r u doing?_

_thetis: stop being weird come hangout ___

__Desperate for anything else to look at, Thanatos started typing out a reply before he knew what he was saying._ _

_thanatos: ok 1 sec i just -_

__"Hey," Eros tried to sound nonchalant, but it ended up sounding terse._ _

__Thanatos froze, fingers poised to type but motionless. He could feel the tension in his shoulders bubbling up into a migraine._ _

__"H-Hi." He looked up, trying to sound casual but sounding confounded._ _

__"So, I owe you an apology." The pink god began, awkwardly fiddling with the hem of his purple cashmere sweater._ _

__"Um." Thanatos blinked._ _

__"Yeah. What I said... back on Crete..." He took a gulping breath "...wasn't OK. I was really upset, obviously, but I know you were just doing your job." He pushed his orange slice into his drink, letting out a sigh. "I should have been more... understanding I guess. Plenty of people have screamed at _me_ for doing _my job_ so... Yeah. I'm sorry."_ _

__Thanatos tugged on his black suit jacket. "Uh." He straightened his narrow black tie. "Thanks." He looked around for an exit._ _

__"Look, I'm not really looking forward to going in there and watching my mom feel everyone up. Would you maybe want to go out in the garden?" Eros fished around in the pocket of his white wool slacks and produced a small plastic tube with the words "Mytikas Medicinal" surrounded by a wreath of pot leaves. "I have a peace offering...?"_ _

__Thanatos' mouth went dry. Partly because of the awful memories he had of smoking, and partly because of the way the cashmere hugged Eros' shoulders and chest. He stood, abruptly, tugging his bun tight._ _

__"Sure."_ _

__\---_ _

__The garden was empty when the pair stepped out of the tall french doors onto a patio surrounded by fragrant herbs. The fountain glistened and chuckled in the bright moonlight, and huge white moths stopped for a moment on the edge of the basin before fluttering away to the luminous night-blooming flowers. Thanatos shoved his hands deep into his pockets, squishing the toe of his black patent leather shoe into the soft lawn._ _

__Eros opened the tube with a soft pop, and the skunky scent of weed reached Thanatos' nose, making his stomach clench with anxiety. The raspy click of a lighter bathed Eros' face in a warm, flickering, fiery glow for a moment as he dragged on the joint and passed it._ _

__"No, actually. I don't... actually...." Thanatos turned away, the sharp planes of his face pinched._ _

__"Oh, sure. Do you mind if I -"_ _

__"No, not at all. Sorry."_ _

__Eros took a thoughtful drag and blew the smoke up at the twinkling stars, exposing the long, muscular line of his neck._ _

__"Once, Zeus blamed me for some... fling of his. I really thought Hera was going to tear me apart. You should have seen her _eyes_." He shook his head, smiling._ _

__"When I had to collect the soul of Amphion, Zeus..." Thanatos shuddered, suddenly chilled in the warm summer air. "It was much scarier than you were, on Crete." He glanced over at the pink god, "No offense."_ _

__Eros laughed heartily until it turned into a cough as he shook his head. "None taken. I wouldn't want to be that scary."_ _

__Thanatos' phone buzzed, and he glanced down to see a photo of Thetis and Minthe pouting for the camera, Thetis barely concealing a smirk._ _

__"Its nice out here" Thanatos supplied lamely._ _

__Eros tossed the roach in the fountain, moving over toward an arbor loaded down with grapes. "Yeah. Hera's garden is always perfect. I hardly ever visit because, well, mom's usually persona non grata around here." He stopped to touch a pale rose, bending down to smell it, but as soon as his fingers touched the soft petals they began to fall away. "Whoops!" He stepped back. "Did you...?" He waved his hand in the direction of the denuded rose bush._ _

__Thanatos shrugged. "Not on purpose. Sometimes it just happens." He reached out to poke the tip of a thorn with his finger and it shriveled away from his touch, blackening._ _

__"Whoa." Eros reached out and delicately brushed his fingers against Thanatos' cheek, feeling the faintest drag of stubble._ _

__"Were you expecting to...?" Thanatos smirked, drinking in the sight of Eros' long lashes, his bright, wide eyes._ _

__Eros pulled his hand away, blushing. "Just checking."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mytikas is the name of the highest peak of Mount Olympus so... Mytikas Medicinal. Runners up for the Mt. Olympus weed dispensary name included Heavenly High and Olympus Clouds.


End file.
